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Moss
Icon for Moss, from Pikmin 4's Piklopedia.
Name Moss
Gender Female
Eye color Brown
Hair color Green
Home planet PNF-404
Known related characters Captain Olimar, Louie
Height Unknown
First game Pikmin 4
Latest game Pikmin 4

Moss (モス?) is a space dog in Pikmin 4. In the game's prologue she is found by Captain Olimar when he crash-lands on PNF-404 and quickly befriends him, helping him throughout his search for his ship's missing ship parts. After the prologue, Moss is seen accompanied by a leafling-transformed Olimar, and accompanies him during Dandori Battles.

In gameplay, be it during the prologue when the player controls Captain Olimar, Olimar's Shipwreck Tale, or during a Dandori Battle, Moss works exactly like Oatchi. She is only ever seen with a leaf on the tip of her tail, much like the one atop a Pikmin's stem.

Personality and appearance

Moss is fairly similar to Oatchi, with some notable differences.

  • She is larger.
  • Her fur is green.
  • Her eyes are brown and are half-closed, instead of fully open.
  • Her ears are perked upward and forward instead of drooping down.
  • Her cheeks are not as firm and droop more.
  • Her bark is deeper.
  • She has a more serious disposition.

Unlike Oatchi, Moss is seen to be a native of PNF-404, with Olimar speculating that her leafy tail has actually been that way since birth, similar to the Pikmin. Despite being born lightyears apart from each other, Oatchi and Moss are both stated to descend from the PNF-404 Native Ancient Sirehound, which Olimar believes suggests something deeper about the nature of their universe.


As an enemy

Until Olimar is rescued, Moss can be found in the Hero's Hideaway. According to the Voyage Log, she appears to be guarding his bunker.

She will seek out Pikmin (both idle ones and ones in the player's squad), and whistle for them to put them under her control, much like an Antenna Beetle. Upon gathering Pikmin, she will try to run off with them. Pikmin under Moss's control cannot be freed until Moss takes significant damage, at which point she will let them go and try to escape; if she does so, she will begin to heal herself. Unlike most enemies, she has a unique map icon.

Moss cannot be permanently defeated; when her health is depleted she will be incapacitated and begin regenerating her health. Collin will inform the player when Moss's health is fully restored so they can plan their activities accordingly.

Notes

Dalmo's Notes

Oatchi and Moss are like two peas in a pod. It's quite unprecedented that a space dog should meet such a similar creature on a far-off, unknown planet. You could even call it miraculous. Could they be siblings separated at birth? No, that's just not possible.

Olimar's Notes

As far as I can tell, Moss has been a leafling pup since birth, and some of her DNA resembles that of the Pikmin. This is the one point in which she differs from Oatchi. When Oatchi transformed from a standard space dog into a leafling pup, I started to theorize that the Pikmin are, in some capacity, propagating their DNA in other organisms. The phenomenon in which all those castaways, including myself, became leaflings was very likely caused by being absorbed into the Onion. Perhaps that process was also some sort of Pikmin-ification of the body. Pikmin-ified organisms can't leave this planet, so the Pikmin may have been motivated to carry out this process in an effort to secure a permanent leader. Of course, this is all a theory...

Louie's Notes

Convenient for procuring ingredients. Compact, with a tight turning radius.

Naming

Her name comes from her green coat of fur, which resembles moss. Her scientific name, Folicanis amicaris, is based on "foliage", the Latin for "dog", and the Latin phase for "you are friendly".

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
  Japanese モス?
Mosu
Moss
  French Moss -
  Portuguese Moss -
  Spanish Moss -

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See also